The Advantages and Disadvantages of Premade and Custom Characters (and Shepard)

Fundamental design choices and their impact on RPG narratives.

The first time I picked a Final Fantasy game, my immediate instinct was to make the characters my own somehow. At the first opportunity, Terra became Kat. Locke was Joey, for a guy that I was dating at the time, and so on. It didn't change the game, but it did get me more invested in the characters.

Nowadays I usually leave the names alone (though I still name the main character 'Kat,' no matter what), but I recognize the desire to put my personal stamp on the game, whether through the character's appearance or their name. It made think a bit about one of the fundamental design choices that an RPG developer can make--the decision to go with a set of premade characters or to introduce custom characters. Either is a valid choice; each has its benefits and drawbacks.

Let's explore a bit, shall we?

Premade Characters

By which I mean, of course, Cloud, Sora, and Adam "I never asked for this" Jensen. The characters with distinct appearances, personalities, and characters arcs.

It's a lot easier to tell a coherent story with such characters. Abilities can be designed around a character's unique status (think of Squall's "Lionheart" limit break). Character progression can tie into the overall story arc--earning new abilities after a major breakthrough, for example--and strengthen both elements.

But you know how I mentioned that I compulsively named the entire Final Fantasy VI cast after people I know? A lot of people, myself included, like to feel personally invested in their party's fate. Having a premade lead takes away from that sense of investment, and can even be a distraction if they turn out to be especially irritating. Star Ocean's Fayt Leingod, Infintie Undiscovery's Capell, and Grandia III's Yuki are just a few of the characters that I have found grinding over the years.

Done right though, a great main character can define an RPG for the good. Lenneth Valkyrie was one of Valkyrie Profile's strongest components, effortlessly shifting between aloof power, scornful judgement, and vulnerability. As the sequel Silmeria showed, a Valkyrie Profile without Lenneth can be a very hollow thing indeed.

Custom Characters

For me, designing a custom character is serious business. They have to be distinctive--but not so much that they are actively goofy. When I look at them, I want to feel as if they're powerful, because I'm putting some of myself into these characters. In some ways, creating a custom characters get at the very heart of what makes gaming appealing as a medium--interactivity. And like self-insert fics, they make for a nice power trip.

In storytelling terms, custom characters offer some interesting advantages over premade characters. Choices are more meaningful when using a custom character, since it's partly a reflection on the player controlling them. It affects the good and evil dynamic, but also the relationships that are formed throughout the game, and who you want to help. That kind of power can make for a compelling adventure, since in essence, you are the master of your own fate.

On the other hand, there's less of a defined character arc at work. Yes, the protagonist of Skyrim can be revered for being "Dragonborn," but his or her motives are largely a mystery. There's a quest, and an adventure, and a certain number of character-building actions like getting married, but it all kind of takes place in a vaccuum. You don't really know who the Dragonborn is because there's nothing to know. There are more raw choices, but it's up to the player to fill in the gaps as to what's going through the character's mind.

It varies from game to game, but when I'm playing a sprawling RPG, I usually like having the power to create my own character. I like seeing my name, choosing my armor, and having the power to influence the outcome of the adventure. There are exceptions of course--Cecil and Lenneth come to mind--but that's my general preference.

It's worth noting there isn't a strict binary between custom characters and premade characters. The Persona series, and the original Dragon Age, offer an interesting compromise by combining the prototypical silent protagonist with the ability to make choices. Since these are pre-defined characters of a sort--both have a fairly extensive backstory in place--there's room for a more refined character arc. But the ability to make choices and define the protagonist's relationships with the other characters is left to the player.

Probably the best compromise is in the character of Shepard (and to a lesser extent, Dragon Age II's Hawke). Shepard is a fully-voiced character with a backstory, existing relationships, and a definite arc. But at the same time, it's possible to customize the character's appearance and make choices that have a definite impact on their future. I was surprised how attached I became to Shepard, and by extent, characters like Liara T'Soni (my space girlfriend). To me, at least, this seems to be the best of both worlds.

I guess I'm kind of curious--what do you prefer? Do you like premade protagonists, completely customizable protagonists, or something in between like a Shepard?

Comments (10)

SMT Nocturne

I am curious as to what people think of the protagonist in Nocturne. Which catagory hero does he fall into? You cant choose how he looks, but the end of the game is basically down to your choices. He is so odd, almost like a cypher of sorts, but the actual plot of SMT Nocturne is still incredibly interesting and well thought out....

That being said, I dont think there is much of a character arc for the protagonist, so maybe its a moot point? So many questions, I reach out to you Kat/1up Community!

Right but...

The body of Kat's article discusses that she feels that open ended gameplay lends itself to the idea of character creation. Nocturne in particular has open ended conclusions which are governed by your choices throughout the game.

Admittedly, it is far more linear than Skyrim, but it is somewhat akin to Mass Effect, in so far there is a massive hub world that leads to various dungeons and towns. So I am curious if Megaten having premade characters detract from that sense of openness for anyone.

Pre-made

I simply appreciate the skill it takes to construct a good, interesting protagonist with a good arc. Although blank slates and custom characters are fine and are acknowledged in the importance of the game's mission/plot...it doesn't convince me as powerfully as seeing WHY my protagonist is as significant as he/she is through reactions and personality. Whether or not you are absolutely turned off by FFX Tidus's voice acting, you have to admit the dude has heart and rightly questions the mechanics of Spira in an understandable and relatable manner.

As for Link, I don't necessarily think he's a blank slate, even if he doesn't talk. He's got backstory, pre-made friends and you see his reactions in 3rd person clearly throughout his games (at least prominently in the 3D ones). But this is about RPGs anyways.

One of the more interesting encounters for me was with RED in Pokemon Gold Silver Crystal. RED is of course the guy you play as in Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow. Though he may not have the exact same Pokemon you had in the first game, almost everyone through popular culture seeme to have made sense with his cast of pikachu, venusaur, charizard, and blastoise among a few others. It was simply cool to see my protagonist blank slate regarded highly in the sequel, sitting at Mt. Silver as the game's ultimate boss, a true Pokemon Master to face his successor. A challenge against the legend, one that I forged myself. Gave me goosebumps when that battle theme started up after you hear him say "........."

Gotta vote custom

While I appreciate what can be accomplished with a fully predefined protagonist and a skillfully crafted storyline, I always feel more connected to games that give me a blank canvas to project myself onto. Etrian Odyssey is an opportunity to go questing with beloved family and friends, while Dark Souls and Skyrim had me obsessing over every last detail of my avatar's facial features. Sure, I've loved lots of RPGs with preset characters, but allowing me to craft my own heroic image is pretty much guaranteed immersion for me.

Both have their strengths

I think it really matters what type of game you are going for. Are you going story heavy? Premade is probably the way to go (I would argue that giving players choices in a premade character type story does not necessarily make them a custom character. In my mind that just good storytelling for an interactive format.) If the game is instead focused more on a system, like say etrian odyssey, the custom character is more reasonable.

Overall I think that I prefer premade characters more as I prefer cohesive narratives. Choices should be included in this, with my dream being a game that allows you freedom to choose how to do things (in more ways than picking options from a menu) and giving you different results as a response.

That said premade characters run the risk of being horribly annoying (i blame bad writing... and sometimes bad voice acting)... But at least I could make Fayt Leingod shout shotgun over and over again. This made my teenage self somewhat happy and kept the move on my character while I wondered when the real story of the game was going to start and I would stop just screwing around in other peoples issues...

I'll use Phantasy Star II

I played it back in the day and did change the names. The four letter limit made it oh so tempting to be vulgar but I was good. Cris, Stev, Bob, Jay, Nik, Tamy, and other friends names rounded out my heroes of Algol. It was fun to have our names as the characters, but made it awkward when reviews, guides, and blogs refer the same characters as either default names or thier own names. Discussions about the game with other players are difficult because you first had to establish who was who in your game vs. theirs. So each character has three names, your name, their name, and the default name. Maybe if the main protagonist was the only one you could change I wouldn't mind so much. At least Nei stayed the same, she was super integral to the story.

So I think an RPG where the characters have specific role in the story, its better to have pre-made names in the long run, but for anywho loot grinds like Diablo III, creating your own characters wins out because it gives you a better connection to the character.

A Shepard to call my own

I generally leave names alone. Anything I make up always sounds a little off key just because I decided on it. A game like Final Fantasy I go with the default names. I knew people who ventured with Steve, Paul, or Andrew but I quested with Terra or Cloud. On the other hand if it’s something like Etrian Odyssey or Dragon Quest IX, the sandbox nature of it makes me want to put my stamp on the characters.

Normally I wouldn’t want a name I didn’t choose for a game like Mass Effect. But my Adri-ann Shepard who I tried to make across between Sigourney Weaver and Claudia Black really grew on me. When I finished Mass Effect and started a new play though I decided to change her appearance. There was something about Adri-ann’s eye’s that made her a little goofy looking, especially when going into cover. So I made what I thought would be an awesome new Shepard, but as soon as I heard Jennifer Hale’s (Adri-ann’s voice) I knew it something was off, it didn’t work for me. It just felt wrong. There was enough involvement on my part in how this character looked and acted towards other characters in the story that it really raised my involvement. And the strength of Jennifer Hale’s acting really sold it.

I feel it mostly depends on how mutable the story elements are. A lot of games have you going through the motions; the story just plays out for you. In those I don’t feel that your own names add to the emersion. But in a game with strong user input into actions and story decisions I think it can greatly enhance your involvement.

The hybrid for me.

"My" Shepard is probably the most attactched I have ever become to a videogame character to the extent he (and she) almost became an extension of me. I like my character to have history in their world that might effect the choices I make for them, though I don't want them to override my motives entirely. However I also like to change everything about them to suit who I am. I like them to wear the armor I would wear, use the guns I would use, and be the class I want to play as. So all in all Mass Effect was almost tailor made for me, a Sci-Fi epic, with an action/RPG playstyle, while playing as a somewhat custom character. That is why the ME franchise is my favourite of all time, and I don't care who knows it!